Will be happy to work in Modi cabinet if asked to: Maha CM

In the midst of a public outreach campaign for the upcoming assembly elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said he would be happy to work in the Narendra Modi cabinet if asked to.

Speaking to PTI, Fadnavis also said the common people have lost their faith in Congress leadership including former president Rahul Gandhi whose comments on scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir were latched on by Pakistan.

"....If asked, I would be delighted to work in Narendra Modiji's cabinet," Fadnavis said.

Fadnavis was responding to a query on his future step in case he was asked to work in the Central government by the party leadership assuming that it was happy with his work as chief minister.

Known as the blue-eyed boy of the top BJP brass, Fadnavis had earlier clarified that he would return as the chief minister of the NDA alliance in Maharashtra once again after the elections, due in October this year.

Fadnavis is the first chief minister of BJP in Maharashtra who is just days away from completing his full term of five years, a rare feat in Maharashtra politics.

The CM was on his way to Satara as a part of his 'Mahajanadesh Yatra', which is set to conclude on September 19 in Nashik district and to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

When asked about his government seeking another term, the CM said, "We have done work and we are going to the people talking about that work. This yatra is aimed at stirring positive sentiments among people".

When asked about national leaders of various political parties campaigning in Maharashtra during the elections, Fadnavis said there was a difference of understanding and perception among people about leaders of the BJP and the Congress.

"People have lost their faith in Congress leadership, especially in Rahul Gandhi. He does not have the required depth of understanding the consequences of his comments. After the abrogation of Article 370, his comments were used by Pakistan on the international level to validate their claims. Rahul Gandhi should have been very careful about his words," he said.

Fadnavis ruled out any impact of Rahul at the hustings.

"Rahul has lost his credibility to make any promises. I see Maharashtra unit of the Congress in a completely disarray. One leader of the Congress has no idea about others. In such case, how can they even put up a fight with us," he said.

The Congress and the NCP are hit by a string of defections on the eve of the elections.

Many leaders, some of them former ministers, have joined either the BJP or its partner, the Shiv Sena.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won the highest 122 seats in the 288-member Assembly while its partner, the Shiv Sena, won 63.